Officials defend care of dead fighter Shangguan Pengfei

Tragedy puts spotlight on treatment, precautions for free combat athletes
BEIJING-Officials from China's sports authority said the death of domestic athlete Shangguan Pengfei was not a result of untimely treatment or defective management by the industry, during a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Shangguan, who went into a coma after being knocked out by a blow to the back of his head during the semifinals of the national free combat championship held in Haikou, Hainan province, on Oct 31, died on Monday at the age of 23.

According to Chinese media, Shangguan's family had asked he be transferred to a better hospital when he became stable in mid-November, but staff from the organizing committee refused to pay for medical expenses outside of Haikou.

Geez... knocked out by a blow to the back of his head? I'd be surprised if he was mentally normal after that. Still, sad news.

By the way, why was a blow to the back of the head allowed? Hell, if he was knocked out a few months prior, why the hell did they allow him to fight? Sounds to me the organizing committee doesn't really give a damn about their competitors.

It really sounds like the death could have been avoided. What a tragedy to the family and the martial art community in general. This just goes to highlight the courage of the athletes that choose to participate in this type of competition.